In color diffusion transfer photographic elements, a method of effectively obtaining good image density is one very important object for the purpose of, for example, (a) obtaining sharp images, (b) obtaining images as rapidly as possible by reducing the thickness of the photographic light-sensitive material as far as possible, (c) improving sharpness by reducing the thickness of the layer of the photographic element as far as possible as per (b) to shorten of the diffusion distance or (d) producing color diffusion transfer photographic elements at low price, etc.
For color diffusion transfer photographic elements using a silver halide developing agent capable of causing cross-oxidation of a dye releasing redox compound, a method of increasing the activity of a silver halide developing agent capable of causing cross-oxidation of the above-described dye releasing redox compound, namely, a method using the above-described silver halide developing agent having a low oxidation reduction potential, is known as one method of rapidly obtaining images. However, since a silver halide developing agent having a low oxidation reduction potential is used, cross-oxidation of the dye releasing redox compound with a one-electron oxidation product of the silver halide developing agent is difficult to effect and, consequently, sufficient image density is difficult to obtain.
Specifically, when a silver halide developing agent having a low oxidation reduction potential is used, the development rate of the coated silver halide is high but cross-oxidation of the oxidation product of the silver halide developing agent with the dye releasing redox compound does not sufficiently advance and, consequently, images having sufficient density cannot be obtained.